Category Archives: Children’s Health

The challenge to be informed about what we are eating grows ever more complex. Many people trust Trader Joe’s as one of the smaller grocery store chains offering higher quality foods without unnecessary additives, and other harmful ingredients that can cause cancer, neurological damage, or developmental delays. But one mom recently found trisodium phosphate, an industrial strength paint thinner in her children’s Trader Joe’s breakfast cereal, and she is wondering what it is doing there. (The ingredient is found in other popular cereals as well).

Trisodium phosphate, otherwise known as trisodium orthophosphate, sodium phosphate, or TSP, is well known by construction workers, DIYers, and developers, but not to most parents shopping for their morning meal. It is an inorganic phosphate which can be detrimental to our health. It is often used in place of mineral spirits to remove paint!

It isn’t just Trader Joe’s that sells cereal containing TSP; it is in hundreds of foods, in dozens of stores, as an ‘additive’ which the FDA has called ‘safe,’ but even the activist environmental group The Clean Water Act has taken steps to limit the use of TSP in cleaning supplies because it damages the environment. Shouldn’t that give pause to the food industry, and make them question why it should be in our food? It shows up in toothpaste, hair color, processed cheeses and meats, canned soups, and even mouthwash. What kind of ‘additive’ is this anyway?

Just some of the minor problems with eating TSP include:

The reduction of bone density due to mineral leeching

Calcification of the kidneys

Serious irritation of gastric mucosa

Abdominal burning

Shock

PesticideInfo.org says that this substance should be avoided at all cost. Just as Subway removed a harmful additive to their breads recently due to a blogger’s pressure and subsequent petition, signed by thousands, this substance needs to be removed from all food, or ingestible items – especially cereals or baby toothpaste that children consume.

You can let your local grocery stores know that they shouldn’t carry products which contain TSP. You can boycott items yourself that contain it, or you can tell the FDA just what you think of their ‘safe’ classification of this obvious toxin. Consumers have a right to non-toxic foods, and TSP definitely doesn’t belong in a bowl of your kid’s cereal.

About the Author

Christina Sarich is a humanitarian and freelance writer that has broken numerous health-related news stories.

Some of her biggest pieces revolve around exposing the fraud and lies told by Big Food and Biotech. If you want to learn how food companies are tainting the food supply with toxic ingredients or how genetically modified foods are leading to the downfall of our food supply. Christina’s articles are must-reads.

Her blog is Yoga for the New World, and her latest book is Pharma Sutra: Healing the Body and Mind Through the Art of Yoga.

Comments Off on Why Children Get Ear Infections
Posted by docakilah on June 30, 2014

By Dr. Marcu McMillian

What is one of the biggest reasons why parents take their children to
see a pediatrician? Most pediatricians and parents will agree that it
is otitis media (commonly known as an ear infection. Otitis media
occurs when there is bacterial growth in the internal ear that leads
to inflammation which produces fluid build-up, local pain, fever, and
other symptoms. Conventional medicine considers bacteria to be at
the root of the problem and therefore directs the treatment to kill
the bacteria with antibiotics. This “logical solution fails more
often that it works.

Naturopathic medicine agrees that bacteria are overgrowing. But in
order for bacteria to grow it requires a certain temperature,
moisture, and sugar content of the medic for it to survive and
multiply. In other words children get ear infections because their
bodies provide a “nourishing environment” for the bacteria not
because they have an antibiotic deficiency.

The real question is, “How do our children become ‘bacteria-friendly’
media?” Candy, sodas, hamburgers, cookies, and other common foods
have little nutritional value and provide excessive ’empty calories’
in the form of simple carbohydrates and sugars. Bacteria feeds on
sugar. Logically, reducing the amount of sugar intake in the body
will make bacteria harder to grow and infect.

Another important factor is that allowing pathological bacteria to
overgrow in our bodies causes a weak immune system. Long-term
overuse of antibiotics suppresses the immune system. And the immune
system is what is supposed to protect us from infections in the first
place.

From the naturopathic prospective the single most important thing to
understand is that an infection itself is a consequence and not the
cause. For treatment to be successful over the long run it should
address and remove the underlying causes of the problem not removing
the symptoms.

Scientists are now recommending that mothers delay vital breastfeeding in order to ‘improve’ the effects of vaccinations, stating that consuming breast milk could hamper the potency of vaccinations such as the rotavirus injection. The authors state that the immune-boosting effects of breast milk could negatively affect the vaccine potency. Of course the authors make no mention of the relationship between vaccination and over 189 diseases as observed by peer-reviewed research.

In a study published in the Journal of Pediatric Infections & Diseases that anyone can freely read, scientists say that breastfeeding should be halted to improve vaccine effects (which include negative effects).

The advisory is specifically targeted towards developing and poor nations, as is the norm with massive vaccination campaigns funded by the likes of the Bill Gates Foundation and the United Nations. Perhaps most startling is the fact that children in these nations oftentimes rely on breast milk as the only source of quality nutrition, yet the recommendation states that this is a desirable effect. In fact, a weakened immune system is just what the scientists are looking for to increase the potency and ‘effectiveness’ of the vaccine.

An excerpt from the study reads:

“INTERPRETATION: The lower immunogenicity and efficacy of rotavirus vaccines in poor developing countries could be explained, in part, by higher titers of IgA and neutralizing activity in breast milk consumed by their infants at the time of immunization that could effectively reduce the potency of the vaccine. Strategies to overcome this negative effect, such as delaying breast-feeding at the time of immunization, should be evaluated.”

Scientists: Stop Breastfeeding, Make Way for Negative Effects

What’s more is the fact that the researchers seem to indicate mothers should instead choose to give their children synthetic formula. This is telling, as it shows that synthetic formula has nowhere near the immune-boosting capabilities of real breast milk. In fact, it can be quite damaging to the health of babies. In addition to containing toxic ingredients similar to processed foods, infant formula has been linked to a greater risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and many more illnesses.

What does this ultimately mean? It means the enhanced ‘potency’ of these vaccinations given to children who are starved of breast milk also includes the negative reactions. The same negative reactions that are well documented by published research, tying vaccinations to autoimmune disorders to and infant mortality.

Brian Wansink is famous for his work on the psychology of eating and for popularizing terms such as “mindless eating” and “health halos.” His research has unveiled some of the many occasions in which environmental cues such as packaging, label claims and plate size influence our eating.

There’s something particularly encouraging about Wansink’s findings. If so much of our eating, overeating and unhealthy eating is driven by nothing more than unconscious, mindless habits, a targeted environmental change can improve our eating without much sacrifice, indeed, almost without individuals having to do a thing.

Plate presentation affects eating

A new study from Wansink’s group, published in the January issue of Acta Paediatrica, and led by Francesca Zampollo looks at how the look of the plate affects kids and adults.

Twenty-three kids and 46 adults were shown full-size photos of 48 different combinations of food on plates that varied by number of items, placement of entrée and organization of the food.

Kids preferred plates with more items and more colors, they liked the entrees placed in the front of the plate, and they liked figurative designs. In fact, kids liked it when their plate had 6 different colors and 7 different foods, while adults preferred a plate with no more than 3 colors and 3 foods. Both kids and adults appreciate a non-crowded plate, with just enough empty space.

More color and more choice

Food marketers have known about kids’ attraction to rainbow design for years I suppose. Take a look at the packaging of foods targeted to kids’ and the recurring pattern is lots of colors, shapes and figurative designs. Minimalism and simplicity aren’t a winning style in kids’ products. So I guess young focus groups have told marketers much the same as the study group told the researchers.

According to this study kids visually prefer a plate with many elements and many choices. It is yet to be proven that they’ll actually eat more readily if such a multiple-choice plate were served, but if that is indeed the case I welcome this finding. All we need in order to achieve 6 colors and 7 choices is to serve several kinds of vegetables and fruit to accompany the entrée – and we don’t even need to chop them into a salad.

No matter how big the toothless smiles, how many toys are packed into the playroom, how perfect the family holiday photo seems, many children experience some kind of stress while they are growing up that one researcher says could stay with them into adulthood.

“If a child has a pervasive sense of adversity in his or her childhood for whatever reason, the brain responds to that kind of hardship by becoming more sensitized to stress,” Dr. Rajita Sinha, director of the Yale Stress Center, recently explained to CNN.

The brain becomes hard-wired to react more strongly, she says, making that person more likely to have a greater reaction to stress than people who do not have a similar history.

What childhood stress is so big that is burrows into the brains for decades? Research points to pain, illness, and injury as major stressors for kids. But a child’s stress level can increase to “severe” during family conflicts such as divorce, abuse, witnessing violence, financial crisis, the death of a loved one, or a parent who suffers from addiction or mental health problems.

While anxiety is a normal reaction to stress and can even be OK for children to navigate, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, some people experience excessive levels of anxiety. One in eight children are affected by an anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, including those who are deemed to have post-traumatic stress disorder.

While humans are “adaptive animals,” Sinha says many children are experiencing stress before their ability to deal with it is completely developed. The adversity in their young lives therefore leads to a higher overall stress level into adulthood.

“The stress pathway is developing during childhood. The stress system needs time to grow and become fully functional,” Sinha says.

Small children under stress are sources of concern, according to her studies. But she also sees adolescents, who are more likely to self-isolate, as particularly vulnerable. Teenagers’ stress symptoms may range from sleep difficulty to overeating to school truancy to taking pain medication unnecessarily.

While parents may not be able to completely shield children from stressors — a kid’s home life might be magical but they may encounter a bully in Sunday school or suddenly lose a grandparent to cancer — Sinha says parents, teachers, and caregivers can help build resistance and optimism when kids experience stress.

“Things happen. Families will face adversities. But if parents, teachers, and other adults are helping to guide children by talking about the trauma and providing them with adaptive skills, then those children will be more inclined toward protection and resilience, as opposed to risk.”

How can we help protect our kids from becoming over-stressed adults?
1. Seek social support. Sinha says that interacting with others and garnering family support is a primary way we can protect kids from the risks of stress.
2. Embrace education and intellectual challenges. Children are more likely to learn to navigate tough stuff if they are challenged in a safe environment like school, she reports. Teachers that encourage students to think abstractly, for example, are helping their brain develop in ways that will serve stressed children in the moment and, perhaps, in the long term.

3. Develop optimism and tactics to control emotions. Parents and other adults who are active in a child’s life may be able to help protect kids from carrying stress forward in such significant ways. A University of Wisconsin-Madison study revealed that a mother’s voice, whether during a conversation or phone call or whisper during a hug, can produce significant biochemical responses that soothe stressed children. Another study of 405 inner-city children showed that yoga instruction boosted the kids’ self-esteem and grades and decreased behavioral problems associated with the stress of poverty in South Central Los Angeles. Getting enough sleep consistently has also been shown to help children deal with stress more effectively. Some even say a little playful, safe roughhousingcan do kids (and parents) a world of good.

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DISCLAIMER

Nothing stated here should be considered as medical advice for dealing with a health problem. You should consult your health care professional for individual guidance for specific health problems. This blog is for informational, entertainment and educational purposes only, and is simply a collection of information in the public domain. Information conveyed herein is based on pharmacological and other records - both ancient and modern. No claims whatsoever can be made as to the specific benefits accruing from the use of any herb or nutrients.